Lee Pro 1000 question

[layusn1]

I have never deprimed on my press before but ran 1500 223 cases through it this weekend and the primers just fall into the base of the press. They are fairly consistent in falling into that cavity but since the whole press is mounted to the wood, how the heck do you collect primers without unbolting the press every 1500 cases? Am I missing something? For reference sake, I used the Lee Universal Decapping Die in station 1, the RCBS lube Die in station 2 and the Lee resize die in station 3. It makes for quick 223 resizing but the primer problem is perplexing. Thanks for any info.

 

[hornadylnl]

Buy an LNL and you won't have that problem The LNL has a tube that comes off of the number 1 station for the spent primers. You can attach the hose and run it to a trash can or tape a water bottle to it to catch them.

Seriously though, I had a pro 1000 but only ran about 800 rounds through it before I got rid of it and got my LNL. When I unbolted it, there was a huge pile of primers under it. I don't know if you could get them out with a shop vac or not. I don't know why every press doesn't have a tube system like the LNL. I think there are other presses with it but I couldn't tell you which ones.

 

[layusn1]

Its gonna bed a huge PITA if I have to unbolt the press every 1500 rounds.

 

[Barr]

I just unbolt my press every few hundred rounds and knock the primers into a trash can. I would hesitate about sucking up the primers with a vacuum cleaner because you will occasionally get a live primer or two in the pile of spent primers. If it goes off in the vacuum cleaner it could destroy it. Right now you are asking how a live primer could get in there? Occasionally a primer gets turned sideways and you will have to knock it out to reprime the case.

 

[philbo]

I drilled a hole in the bench and used a small yogurt type cup I found in the cabinet. I can empty the cup whenever I want without unbolting the press. If a cup splits, I just replace it. Cheap, easy and it works! Just like my Lee!

 

[Hook686]

I mounted the Pro 1000 to a 8" x 10" x 1" board. I drilled a hole in the mounting board. I clamp the mounting board to my desk, with 3 "C"-clamps, with a towel between the mounting board and the desk. It is not that tough to unclamp the mounting board and get rid of the spent primers.

 

[layusn1]

Hook686, I like your idea. I was thinking of mounting the press higher off the platform it is mounted to anyway because the ramp to catch the rounds is really low and hard to find a suitable container to catch them. Maybe I can build a box to mount the press to, drill some hole in it and place a container inside the box to catch the primers.

 

[johndoe1027]

I was just noticing this problem last night as I was depriming a few cases just to get familiar with the steps of the Lee 1000. I don't even have powder, primers, or bullets yet.

My problem is that I put 2x4 stringers under the piece of countertop I used for my surface. The front stringer is directly in between the front bolts and the rear bolt (which took a lot of forethought and planning :banghead. I think I screwed up. There is no way to move this stringer now and I think it takes up just enough space to prevent a hole in the countertop. It is turned "up" so that it covers a 1.75" strip on the underside of the counter. I will try drilling into the countertop at an angle from the bottom to start I guess. I never thought that they would make the primers fall into an inaccessible cavity. I'm not going to be unbolting the press to empty out primers. I have a sawzall and a drill. I'll modify the base of the press if I have to.

 

[trickyasafox]

i drilled a one inch hole under my pro 1000, then ran a 1inch OD hose to a primer collection point. i run a single stage, my turret, and the pro all to the same bucket. . . .works pretty well

 

[johndoe1027]

Cool, I'll have to see how big of a hole I can fit between the edge of the press and the 2x4 that runs under the middle of the press. A 1/2" hole will be better than nothing.

Thanks.

 

[jfh]

About fifteen years ago, just after I set up my Pro 1000 and Turrets,

there was an advertisement in Shotgun News for "Pro 1000 primer collectors, $5.95+ shipping." I ordered two of them--and when they arrived, I found that all they were the following items:

1. A Kaukkona Cheese container with its snap-on lid;
2. three short SM screws and flat washers;
3. A pattern for drilling and cutting holes; and
4. Directions to cut a nominal one-inch hole in the bench and the lid.

I did; it worked--although I smarted a bit about paying $6.00 for an empty cheese container when I could have bought it and the cheese for under $3.00 at the local grocery store.

There was a minor problem, too: when I bumped the container with my knee one time, I disloged it--and got to pick up primers once again.

HOWEVER: It worked easily for me because I had had a special benchtop made--not only 2.5" thick of HDO, but one that was 30" deep--e.g., it projected about 7" beyond the base cabinet.

I moved in 2000, and I hadn't reinstalled my reloading gear until a couple of months ago. Again, I had a 30" d. benchtop made. Again, I mounted the presses with 1" holes under the press--maybe even bigger. This time, however, I used a Skippy plastic peanut butter jar. The screw-on lid is more secure, and the capacity is much greater. It's mounted using the back press bolt and two sm screws and washers. Placement is a bit critical, to get clearance for the back mounting bolt wingnut, but it's not really difficult to do.

The only minor problem is lower cabinet access--e.g., to open the doors below, I have to remove the jar because it's tall enough to get in the way. Unscrewing it is a minor issue.

So, I've gone Googling about jars. I've discovered that one can get jars in all sizes--but it appears that ones that are about 90mm dia. and 1&1/2" deep are perfect--e.g., they will install underneath the bench OK with the back press mounting bolt, are shallow enough to clear doors, and have sufficient capacity to make emptying a minor factor in production.

This works with my extra-deep countertop; I think it would work with those of you who use mounting plates of larger size--maybe a 2x8 or 2x10?--but on a standard countertop, the base upper front rail usually gets in the way. For standard-top depths, the tubing-and-remote collector point looks better.

johndoe1027: The diameter of that hole is not really critical--the press base will just "fill up" and the primers will start tumbling down the hole sooner or later. The bigger the hole, the better, obviously--but even 1/2" would work, I think.

Jim H.